Myself. (I don't know much)
Introspection
JoinedPosts by Introspection
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7
Tell me things you know
by IronGland insome things i know: latin, how to overclock intel processors, linear algebra, enough about web design to build a really lame,crappy webpage with hard to read text, quite a bit about the roman empire, all about the civil war, i can identify most bird species in my area, a respectable knowledge of plantaganet kings, alot about medieval central europe, where old cemetaries are in my surrounding area.
how a diesel engine works.
a good bit about vitamins,minerals and various beneficial herbs.how to rescue a drowning person who is attempting to pull you under.
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If you decided to try a church, which one would you try?and why?
by LyinEyes ini have been thinking of doing something i have wanted to for along time, just to see, that is go to a church.
i guess i am a little afraid , or nervous , more than anything, but i feel i ready to venture out there and see what it is about,,,,,,,,,,,lol, i might not stay , i just want to try it.. i just want to give it a chance and right now i have no reason why i shouldnt if i go in with my eyes open.
i dont know what religion to start with,,,,,,,,, i figure this may be a journey on finding what feels right to me, or it could end up i stay home and do my own worship , who knows.. i know there are many christains on this board and i would be interested in hearing why you choose the faith you did, if it is methodist, catholic, baptist, or other mainstream ones.. i am also interested in other forms of religion some have choosen, and why?
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Introspection
I am also interested in other forms of religion some have choosen, and why?
Well, since you made this statement I'll say that if I was looking for some kind of organized thing and I felt that nobody really needed me close by in their life, I would join a zendo. Now this doesn't mean that if you're doing the official zen thing you will be isolated from the world, but naturally you are kind of out of the way. This isn't a reason why, but one thing about zen is the simplicity. Sitting meditation in zen has been described as "sit down, shut up, and figure it out for yourself." Even though you are there to figure it out for yourself, you have a kind of support with the other people there doing the same thing. For me, one reason why I'd get into that is because I already know what it's about, and I think that's a good criteria for anyone getting into anything.
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What physical activites do you practice?
by JH indo you try to stay in good shape?
to be healthy and stay healthy one must do a minimum of physical activites, even if it's only a small walk once in a while.
no matter who you are, you must do a minimum of physical activities to stay healthy.. i walk alot, and go on bike once in a while.
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Introspection
I stretch. This may not seem like a big deal, but aside from the fact that I have to due to a structural imbalance, I will also never have chronic back pain from sitting in front of the computer too much or something like that, (some kind of injury is another story) simply because I know how to take care of it if I get too stiff. You don't even have to do this all the time, I get lazy sometimes but since I have a feel for it I can relieve the tension whenever I decide to take the time to stretch out. The trick is you have to open up those joints in the first place, it takes a bit of conditioning. You won't get the flexibility the first time you stretch, but it's a matter of degree, too.
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Introspection
If they lurk there is just no way that we can know that they've been helped or even what specifically we could do to help, but I'm sure many are helped all the time. At times you see messages that says I've been lurking so long and finally decided to post, I appreciate what's said here etc. etc... Even though we don't know it, I'm sure shifts are taking place for people.
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31
Sayings of wisdom
by Simon in1- i can only please one person per day.
today is not your day.
tomorrow is not looking good either.
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Introspection
"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." (Douglas Adams)
Half of the people in the world are below average.
Television is called a medium. This is because it is neither rare, nor well done.
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Proof Buddhists Are Happiest Religion??
by metatron inthe link is too long and impossible to post but at yahoo news - health there is an article taken from new scientist.
that analyses brain states during meditation.
they might be able to measure happiness objectively, with appropriate sensors.. .
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Introspection
Good questions Azaria. Of course, meditation is not meant to be a form of escape, but it can be used in that way. Sometimes people meditate so much that their life may start to revolve around the practice, but the truth is any real spiritual practice should be revolved around life. I think it's really just a matter of being clear with your intent and seeing things for what they are, as far as I know nobody ever said meditating a lot will make you enlightened, as if it's like pioneering by sitting or something. The issue of being socially engaged is certainly one that's been talked about, and some people like Thich Nhat Hahn are big on it.
As for happiness, I don't know that it necessarily changes your brain in any sigificant way, although I understand that in general there are differences that have been observed in meditators. (which is not the same as a Buddhist either..) But yes, you're pretty much on the right track on the point about accepting pain - whether we accept pain or not it's a fact of life, it's a natural response the body has in certain situations. I'm sure you can see how having a clear mind will result in less psychologically induced pain though, those are after all unnecessary outside of the psychological framework they arise from.
To go back to your first question, that's actually a very good observation about how it can become self-indulgent. Considering that one of the main teachings in Buddhism is no-self or not-self, it is clear that if someone identifies with being a Buddhist or a meditator they don't really understand this. This is where it's kind of ironic in that when someone becomes a Buddhist whether as a monastic or a lay person, they start focusing on form to a certain degree - it could be anything from wearing the official robe, being interested in Buddhist art, burning incense and collecting Buddhist paraphernalia to just the meditation practice itself. Obviously being Buddhist is not about those things, but I suppose this is kind of what happens when people do something religiously.
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Introspection
.. yes or no only please! Just kidding. I've seen more than one of these as the subject of a thread, (and no not from just one person) many I'm sure since I've been on this board, but it just occurred to me to ask this question. Of course, most of the time people will go on with some kind of explanation anyway, but don't you find it limiting? I know for me often my response is basically something along the lines of that's a small part of a bigger picture. Anyhow, I'm not sure if much can be said about this as a topic, but go ahead and say your piece!
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Is it just me...
by arrowstar inwe datewe marrywe divorcewe put a personal ad out there and we start it all over again.
are we scared well be hurt?
weve all been hurt.
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Introspection
I felt that perhaps I would be able to get a wider view.
If I had to sum up my input this would be it, a wider view..
I would say the desire for intimacy and for feeling complete is in all of us, but basically it depends on how far you take it. From the perspective of a lonely single person, of course it is incomplete to be alone, from that perspective. This can happen with all kinds of relationships, it can be your relationship to your parents or whatever, you are whole as an individual but not as a part of a greater whole - but basically we tend to take a view of an individual isolated from a greater whole. That's what being lonely is all about, because in a sense you are alone when you are at one with another, but of course not lonely. There's so much intimacy that you don't feel separate, and at the same time if it is a healthy relationship you don't lose your sense of individuality, it is there simultaneously.
I think the key is there's a big difference between feeling you are one with someone and actually being and functioning as one from a deep intimacy. Those who have studied psychology to some degree probably knows that the initial feel-good phase of a relationship creates enmeshment where you kind of lose yourself and only identify with the relationship itself, so while that is a natural part of the process it does go deeper than that.
This is perhaps where I depart from the common view - my thing is not to emphasize the individual or the intimacy in the relationship or any thing really, but just not to stay focused on any of it. This doesn't mean I don't want a relationship or anything like that, but it has the sense that what we like or don't like is all the same in that it's all a part of life. I think often what happens is not so much the unpleasant feelings that arise, but not knowing why they arise because we are so focused on a part rather than the whole, and we don't have that wider view to put things in perspective. In fact, often times what happens is we just project our own fantasies - either into the other person or into the future, or both. Now I have nothing against hoping for a better future, but I say just know what it is - and if it's going to involve someone else in a relationship why not share that so you can atleast be in on it together? While I think it's a good idea to get to know each other as individuals, I think people get too caught up in that sometimes, too. I mean do you even know yourself that well? Now it kind of depends how far you want to take that question too, but I hate to see people distance themselves from each other because they only think they're a certain way when that's really just trivial stuff.
So having said all of that, I think it can be very simple. I think the main criteria is just to know yourself, and then you just need to be honest in dealing with others, to have a measure of integrity. One thing that kind of relates is that I don't really think in terms of better or worse anymore, just what is fitting or what works together. This is why I think love is really the same as being free, because - well, to take that scripture "the truth will set you free" and applying it to yourself, it is the truth about yourself, but of course the truth about other people you might be in relationship with and just things in general. This is really a very different idea from the better or worse kind of judgement, because you don't have this concept of what a 'good' relationship is supposed to look like. All relationships are going to be different - it's just whatever works. What is based on falsehood will not work in the long run, even if you think you've got a really good idea - that's just our minds going off in to la la land again. You can just imagine how free love feels when it's based on truth right, if it is based on some falsehood there will always be a sense of unease, because that's just not who you are.
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Proof Buddhists Are Happiest Religion??
by metatron inthe link is too long and impossible to post but at yahoo news - health there is an article taken from new scientist.
that analyses brain states during meditation.
they might be able to measure happiness objectively, with appropriate sensors.. .
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Introspection
Well, happiness certainly does not depend upon one's religious affiliation though. Of course, if you ask me it doesn't depend on emotional state or mind states either, but that's another story..
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What is Truth?
by Victor_E inreading a couple of threads in relation to the work im doing got me to ask the question.
what is truth?
i had a lawyer this weekend in one of my workshops that could not accept the concept of relative truth.
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Introspection
So... Given what you've all already said, is truth thought?